Serendipity is Calem
by TatianaLT
Summary: Calem is a curious boy who is oddly only interested in legends and old tales. Follow him on his quest in Kalos as he slowly discovers the wonders of friendship, love, and Pokémon. (Multi-chap, My ver of PokemonXY)


******Ana's notes:** Thank you so much for dropping by to read. My first fanfic, please by all means tell me what you think about it. Enjoy!

Calem & gang age: approx. 17 years old

Chapter Tune: **Pompeii** by _Bastille_

* * *

**Chapter I: Gotta Love Vaniville**

Moving to Johto or Hoenn was one thing, but relocating to Kalos was definitely something else. Calem Blanc knew that Kalos was less oriental than Kanto, or any other regions that he had stayed before, but he'd never seen the culture shock coming, especially not from his supposed hometown. He was born in Kalos for Arceus's sake!

It was only the first time that he and his mother met the town mayor and the deliverymen and they were already very comfy with kissing his mom's cheeks like she's their lover. It was infuriating, but his mother had gently squeezed his hand and explained that exchanging _la bise _was the proper greeting etiquette in the region. He would have to do that too – should he met any girls or have a close _guy_ friend. If that was their idea of being polite, he couldn't imagine what impolite was. Calem could only shudder at the thought.

Calem set down the last of his package and jumped into his bed, his combat boots still on. He lay on his side, staring vacantly at the unfamiliar newly furnished room. His eyes fell onto the soiled beige carpet and vaguely wondered if he really was even born in this foreign place or how his mother would chide him for ruining the carpet.

At that time, however, Calem found out that he really could care less.

Morning had been _slightly_ unpleasant for Calem. He woke with a start and nasty headache. He groggily propped himself on the headboard in the dark. His ears rang as one side of his head throbbed. It was painful, but he was already used to it by now – unsurprising occurrence whenever he dreamed of his dad. Calem turned to his bedside table to check the time. 5:43 flashed in a glaring red on the display.

That explained the darkness.

Deciding that there was no way to get back into slumber, Calem jumped out of bed and deftly maneuvered through the dim room. He opened the windows first. A rush of fresh morning air and breeze burst into his room. Calem leaned out and took in deep breaths. He could not remember when was the last time he'd felt such clean air. Perhaps, there were still some merits in moving to this countryside. He'd still have to reserve his judgements though.

Seeing that there was really nothing left to look at (his room faced a beautiful vast grass field for their Ryhorns but dawn does not do it justice), Calem went to turn the lights on and started to unpack the rest of his stuffs.

He hadn't brought much with him. He only had three cardboxes. The first box was labelled 'Calem – clothes'. Calem inattentively shoved his clothes into the cupboard and proceeded to get his wii U and laptop out of the other. After sorting everything out of both boxes, he walked to the corner of the room for the last one. It was remarkably smaller that the other two, made of more durable materials – certainly looked more important. Calem stared hard at it for a moment before carefully grabbed and placed it on his desk.

The box was not labelled but Calem knew all too well what was inside. He got his pocketknife and ran the sharp thin blade smoothly through the grey duct tape. It was his precious collection of books inside. Books about legendary Pokémons. Some he had bought from garage sales, some his dad left behind, some… he stole from libraries in the various towns he'd stayed before. No one could see the value of these worn-out books, but it meant everything for Calem. He went through some of the books and his own research notes leisurely as he organized them on his desk. That was how Calem spent his time when he was not helping his mother with the Ryhorns or house chores. Time flies when he does.

Subsequently, a Fletchling managed to find itself landing on Calem's shoulder. Its chirps startled him, but he replied with a slight chuckle and stroked its neck gently with the back of his finger. Calem placed the last of his books into the shelf and opened the drawer for a container. He opened it and took some corns to feed Fletchling.

"G'morning little guy. Thanks for trying to wake me up today."

The bird chirped back in joy, delighted with its treats. He must have been late or the bird would not have dropped by to wake him up.

"Hope that Mrs. G is in a good mood today," Calem told the bird, uneasiness hinted in all of his tone.

As if on cue, a booming voice reverberated throughout the house.

* * *

Calem groaned as he got out of the barn, looking extremely exhausted and smelling extremely _fragant_. He had no idea how the dozen of Ryhorns managed to shit that much over the night, and he's the one who have to clean them. He could not decide whether to blame himself for losing track of time or at his mother's sadistic fetish in tormenting him with manual labor. And now he has to herd the Ryhorns and brush them. Seriously, why would rocks be in need of grooming?

He observed the vast grass field that they acquired and scanned at the Ryhorns, all grazing at different spots in the pasture. He sighed at the sight. He knew it's going to be a long day for him. Calem could already feel the hot weather enervating him and a flock of Fletchlings had to flew past warbling in a mocking tone.

Since there's no way out of this (everything's non-negotiable when it comes to Mrs.G), Calem decided to start warming up with the easiest first. He moved his favorite Ryhorn, Sacchan, out to a spot under a majestic oak tree by his house. When he first came to the place yesterday, he knew right away that the spot will be a good station for him to tend to the Ryhorns or just have a nice nap out on a sunny afternoon.

He immediately settled down on the Adirondack chair he had assembled the evening before and started to get down to work. Brushing a Ryhorn – _rock_, was just incomprehensible. Layers and layers of dust wafted through the air, never endingly.

The whole day has been unpleasant thus far, but it somehow turned towards the better as noon came. An angel in long honey blond locks salvaged him from his unpleasant _ordeal_.

Calem was brushing Sacchan when a delicate feminine voice called out at him. He was surprised when he looked over to the source of the voice. He gaped at the girl and looked around to check if she really was calling for him. There was only Sacchan beside him.

Nervousness washed over him in an instant. Calem has never been a very sociable person. Every time his mother was posted to a new town, he rarely made any friends. There was never time for him to hang out with people his age and conversations never worked out; especially all he ever talks about were Ryhorns and legends. People didn't usually visit his place unless it's for Ryhorn sightseeing. Calem stared at the girl, wide-eyed, and pointed at himself to confirm whether she was looking for him. He definitely did not remember knowing anyone other than the _pervy _mayor and deliverymen.

Didn't want to keep her waiting, Calem jogged towards the girl by the fence. In the midst of his journey, he caught a clearer sight of the girl's face. Heat crept up his neck. She was giggling at his clumsiness and was absolutely beautiful with that smile, hands down. And then, panic struck him. He just finished cleaning off the muck, drenched in sweat, and now slightly covered in dust. He was a masterpiece in damp yellowed shirt, ripped cargo pants, grime-covered boots, and complete with _eau de Ryhorn-poop_ – absolutely would do the best runways in Lumiose proud.

Recovering from his anxious thoughts, Calem found himself standing just at the other side of the fence. The bright sapphire orbs bore into his black ones. Calem swallowed the lump down his throat difficultly before managing to say a nervous "Bonjour, _madame_." His mother has been reminding him to greet everyone on their flight to Kalos. Then he remembered his mother had emphasized the importance of _la bise_, but there's no way he'd kiss the girl's cheeks even though it was the custom around the place. He smelled like shit, _literally_.

The girl gave him a hearty laugh at that, leaving Calem at loss of words.

"You're weird," she managed to utter in between her giggles.

That earned her a frown. Aren't they supposed to reply with a _Bonjour_ or something? Being told weird was the last thing he expected. There was really a lot to learn about this region's culture Calem thought faintly.

"Bonjour, monsieur. And it's _mademoiselle_. I'm not quite a _madame _yet," she said after her laughter had somewhat ebbed.

"I'm sorry. I forgot about that," Calem apologized with a sheepish grin.

"No worries. I'm Serena Desjardins by the way. Nice to meet you, neighbor."

Calem thought her name befitting. A cheerful serene girl from the gardens.

He blinked twice before introducing himself in reply. "The name's Calem Blanc. Nice to meet you too."

"Well, I'm your neighbor next door," Serena said as she tilted her head towards the only house that was indeed next to their field. "Mama said that a famous Ryhorn racer moved in yesterday and told me to bring over some rosbifs," she explained as she held up the container in her hands. "I just didn't expect that the famous Ryhorn racer was a boy my age."

"Uhh… No, I'm not the racer. My mom's the one."

"Oh! Really? That is so cool! I have never seen a lady racer before!"

"My Mom'd be very happy to meet you. I suppose we can walk to the house?" Calem said carefully, don't want to sound weird and at the same time trying to strike a conversation. She was the first person he'd _really_ gotten acquainted with since moving here, after all.

They ambled side by side with the one-meter fence separating them. Calem was worried as they walked because the house was quite a distance away, but instead he found himself surprisingly chatting away with Serena.

By the time they reached his door, Calem turned the knob and called out to his mother enthusiastically, "Mrs. G! We have a guest!"

* * *

It has been almost a month since Calem moved into Vaniville now. To say that he was happy was a total understatement. He couldn't remember the last time he was so happy and content in settling down in a new town. The start of the stay in Vaniville had been slightly vexing (as like others when he needs to get accustom to the new environment), but soon Calem found himself anticipating the day to come faster every night.

The source of his newfound excitement and happiness was only one and very obvious at that – Serena Desjardins.

The girl would drop by in the morning with her signature "hey, neighbor." She would then help him with tending the Ryhorns. At first Calem was surprised because he thought a girl like Serena wouldn't even thought of getting her hands dirty with farm chores like all the other girls he knew. But, no, she was far from that. In fact, she has become a favorite amongst the Ryhorns. Even Sacchan seemed to prefer Serena to himself. When they're done with the chores, they would sit comfortably at the Adirondack chairs under the oak tree. They would chat just about anything. Calem was very happy that she would put up with his speeches on Pokémon legends that his mother absolutely hates. It was gratifying, really, that she was such a good listener. That was when he realized he was a very talkative person (at least when it comes to the topics of his interest) and that all this while he just needed an outlet for that.

Serena even introduced him her some of her friends in the town, like Shauna. Calem was very thankful that she'd go all the way to help him with adjusting into life in Vaniville, but he'd be content with her being his friend. Of course, some more friends were good for him and it'd no doubt make his mother worry less about him. She was always worried for his lack of social life.

Sometimes they would go into town for their mothers's groceries together or they would just bump into each other at random places. Vaniville was rather the quaint place, really. Calem fondly remembered when he had went to the library when she had told him that she would be looking after the place for the day as the librarian was out of town.

Library has always been one of the first places Calem would visit whenever he came to a new town. The Vaniville Library was a small establishment but it has a fairly extensive collection of literature despite its size. Calem had stopped visiting the place because there was nothing else to check out.

It was a sunny afternoon that day. It was just slightly passed lunchtime when Calem went into the library. The librarian counter was empty, so he walked around scanning the people, scrutinized his eyes whenever he saw a girl with long blond hair.

"Hey, neighbor!" Serena whispered from behind him as she hit him lightly with a book.

Calem whirled his head back in surprise and could not help but feel slightly peeved (in a fond way) at the girl's antics.

"Are you here for the books or the people?" she said with one of her eyebrows quirked and a doubtful smile.

"The books, of course," Calem lied swiftly. He has become so much better at talking as days passed with Serena. Then he added, "Well, and some of the people."

"Yeah? Are you following me?" Serena was giggling quietly at him.

"Yep." Screw it all, tell the truth. No one believed it half the time anyway.

"Great," Serena replied, sounding pleased. "Here," she said, passing him a leather bound book. "I found it in a corner of a shelf. It's about some legendary Pokémons that defined life and destruction."

At that moment, Calem was just so touched beyond words. He ran through the book and stared at Serena for a full three seconds before giving her a _la bise_ for the first time. That made them blush like crazy, but he really couldn't give a fig for it at that time. He really appreciated her thoughtfulness and that was just one of the reasons he enjoyed her company so.

Mrs. G enjoyed her company, too. Sometimes she'd teach Serena how to cook his favorite Kanto dishes. Calem felt embarrassed at the thought of it, but sometimes he felt as if that was how it would have felt like to have a _girlfriend_.

All in all, he was smitten. He just really like Serena that much and he _did_ kept reminding himself that he just met her, but he does remember he was a teen full of hormones as well. He wouldn't mind though, if she didn't feel about him the same way he did her, but he knew he would be very lonely – sad, even, if she was not around.

* * *

The little contentment Calem discovered in the little town called Vaniville did not last very long. It was quite a cloudy day when it happened. Serena dropped by his house like usual, only this time _slightly_ more ebullient than usual. He had asked her what had happened and regretted right after the answer rolled out her mouth.

"Kalos Region's famous Pokémon researcher, Professor Sycamore, chose me to go on a journey! You're invited, too, neighbor! I don't know why he knew you since you just moved here, but who cares. Anyway he said he'd give us Pokémons too! How cool is that!"

It was the first time he'd seen Serena that excited about something. She just passed him a letter for his mother and ran off saying she has invitation for Shauna too. If Serena was not in such a rush, she would have noticed the frown and scowl on Calem's face. Calem stared depressingly at the letter that held the dreadful news. Once again, this has happened.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, really. Perhaps, in Kalos they started late but a person without Pokémon must in some point of their life set out on a journey. Then his mother's voice came from behind him and asked if Serena came by.

"She just came to pass you this," he said trying to maintain an indifferent tone as he passed the white envelope to his mother and retreated to his bedroom for the rest of the day.

After reading the letter, his mother just could not contain her own excitement as well. Her booming voice came right from downstairs, "Oh! Calem you should visit Lumiose City! You wouldn't wanna miss this chance! Go out there instead of cooping in your room with those storybooks!"

It was a nice morning just like no other. Fletchlings chirps as they glided in the blue sky. The Ryhorns were grazing peacefully in the pasture and one can catch a glimpse of a colony of Zigzagoons playing under the sun in the distance.

Calem had just finished cleaning and supplement the barn when Serena came for him. There he was looking like the first time he had met her.

"Oh, neighbor! Why are you not ready yet? Shauna's waiting for us by the town gate, already. We're going to meet Ti–"

"–I'm not coming."

"I'm sorry?" Serena said in disbelief.

"I'm not coming," Calem repeated after a moment.

Calem knew Serena must have looked dejected, but he couldn't bring himself to face her. He just left her by the barn and walked towards the pasture. He bade her farewell without turning back to look at her for the last time.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go to work now. _Bon voyage_."

* * *

**Ana's notes (2):** So that concludes my first chapter. I hope it was not too long. By the way, _la bise are_ those kisses that French people give to people when they meet each other (kissing both side of the cheeks). Unfortunately I'm not a French, I did the research on Google – hopefully it's correct. Anyway, thank you so much for taking your time to read. I'll try very hard to update every week!


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